Plant support



' May 5, 1925.

A. MARKOWSKI PLANT SUPPORT mmvrox:

ATTORNEYS Mar W! TNESS'ES:

Patented May 5, 1925 UNITED STATES:

"ANTHONY vmnnowsxr, on CHESTNUT HILL, PENNSYLVANIA.

PATENT 0F F ICE.

PLANT surroe'rf Application filed August 24, 1923. Serial No. 659.032.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANTHONY MARKOW- sKI, a'citizen of SovietRussia, residing at Chestnut Hill, county of Montgomery, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Plant Supports, whereof the following is aspecifollows ofa typical embodiment thereof, and its scope is readily apparent from the appended claims.

In the drawings Fig. I is a perspective view of a plant support characteristic of my invention.

Figs. II and III are perspective illustrations of "two alternative forms of plant engaging members which may be used in place of, or in conjunction with the one shown in the complete assembly of Fig. I.

As exemplified in Fig. I, a plant supporting device, of my invention includes a standard 1, and one or more associated plant engaging members such as indicated at 10 adapted for adjustability vertically of said standard.

Confining attention for the time being to the standard 1, it will be seen thatthe same is made of comparatively stout wire, its main "component affording a vertical mounting stem 2, and an integral offset leg 3'produced by angular bending of the wire. With this main component of the standard 1 is associated a supplemental piece appropriately bent to provide two additional ofl'set legs 4.-5 which are separated by an obtuse angle so as to form, in company with the leg 3, a tripod base for the stem 2.

The legs 3, 4 and 5 when forced into the soil adjacent the plant to be supported, firmly hold the standard 1 in the desired set position. may be secured to each other in any ap- The parts of the standard 1' proved way, preferably as herein shown w th one side of a lateral retroverted bend :6 of the supplemental piece embraced in a coil 7 formed at the lower end of the stem 2 of the main component. This pivotal connection permits collapsing of the two parts of the standard for convenience in packing; V V

The plant engaging member 10 of Fig. I is wholly "constructed of a-single strand of springy wire fashioned to hoop or ring form as shown, and sustained from the stem 2 by an internal radial arm 11. This arm 11 extends inwardly somewhat beyond the hoop center, being retroverted at this region as indicatedat 12 and then bent to provide an open elongated horizontal fric tion loop 13 which is appropriately con stricted along its length for maintenance of the loo-p bight against dislodgment on the stem 2 although somewhat flared at its open end to ease entry of said stem in mounting. In order to prevent. possible tilting of the hoopmember 10 relative to the stem 2 and toassist in preventing acci dental slippage thereof, along said stem, I provide at a point beyond the plane of the hoop, a second or auxiliary friction loop 15 which is formed at the inner terminus of the wire strand and like its companion is constricted for a purpose already understood. The frictional effect of the auxiliary loop 15 is enhanced through aid of elongated flanking retroversions 16 designed to engage opposite sides of the stem 2 and to extend somewhat therebeyond as shown. Although open and otherwise generally similar to the main friction loop 13 as well as being aligned therewith, the auxiliary loop 15 is. somewhat smaller dimensioned as to length, and is joined with the former by an angularly disposed segment 17 of the wire strand- This construction 'it will-be seen affords a projection which may be readily pressed by the thumb of one hand to dislodge the main friction loop 13 from'the stem 2, whereupon the hoop mem ber 10 may be readily wholly detached from said stem simply by pressure applied to a second projection jointly formed by the retroversions 16 of the auxiliary loop 15. Attachment of the hoop member 10 may obviously be quickly eii'ected by a similar procedure in the reverse order. The outer end of the wire strand constituting the member 10. is made to fall at a" point in the circumference of the hoop, and is tormed into a hook 18 capable of being detachably engaged in nte setvo rece 19 at th root of the radial arm 11;-'such engagement being maintained by virtue of the springi ness of the hoop. By reason of the provisions justdescribed, the hoop-member '11 may be readily opened and will immediately thereupon automatically expand \to .the extent giildiOfigtGd Joy thedottedlines in Fig. I, thereby efacilitating its application about theplant -Wi-thout necessitating re'movel fromvthe mountingstemQ.

'Ei-g. ll shows- 2u split or divided =hoop member r20 which is generally? similar to the member 10 aforedescribed exceptas lto :certain-jstructuraltdetails. In this instance, the hoop :tproperand *gthe main f riction lOop 21 only -are ,made from a single piece'of Wi're, the auxiliany -friction loop 22 -.-being separate and attached to its fellow-by comabinedgtavisting,and;,soldering-aswatz23. An-

other -dirli erence resides in the :Zformation of the main frietion loop -21 which -;here results =-f1om=tfiolding the strand of wire initially at tthe center, thedouhlelength ob- Ttaining byyirtue' of this procedure, being ret-rovented ia-s-at 24-;to produce the radial arm 25. Beyond the triction loop 21, the

parallel gsegments; of the wire eonstit-uting- 'ln tO direct contact as showinand' if desired,

soldered orotherwise secured together. The opposite extremities of the ire are bent to provide the companion arc complements- 26r26vof thefghoop and their ends are=tashz'rioned into@hooks-27 2fi -tdesignedito be detaohflrbly inter-engaged -=for a-purpose analagous :to -.that-;explained in ;c'onnection with the hoop member 10, =The qa dvanta'gept the n odified'g plant engaging" member 20 over the firstds that it maybe f-a-ppli ed -The modified :fonm of hoop imember sho wn at i30 in Fig- H1 may beemployed separratelywo-r inrogrigrmction with either of theforms previously (lQSCIlb Qd,"'lt being of smaller dimensions generally and designed and stormed with two-friction loops 31, 32 these being however joined by a, segment 33xof the 'wirewvhich parallels the-stem 2 when the-member isiin' place so as to leave the ---intcr10r';of the-loop cleanof obstruction. Another slight difference will (be noted in "that the --;hoop closure in the {instance under consideration is eifected by engage e: larger @clearame;li fi I sustfl radial arm 25 relative ---toth w-1 1 i'segments ment of the terminal hook "34: directly with the stem 2 in the horizontal interval between the side retroversions 35 of the main friction loop 31.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim:

1. A "plant support including a standard comprising a main component member of Wire affording a single strancl mounting m with n integ a ie a e yandz av comp entary "membe a d eg tw dd t-ional ,ottsetlegs to form a trip o d ibase Rfor I the '.standard,' in combination vith a plant engaginggmember ha ving integralbiturcate loops adapted to ltrictionallyengage .;the'

stem of {the standard 2. A plant support including-a-standard ompri i g a mai c mpone memb of Wirenfiorrling a single strand mounting stem-With an integral offset leg, and-a com plementary member having pivotal connectionabout the stem of the firstandaffording txyo additional ,oflset legs to form 'a tripod gbase for the standard, in combination with a plant engaging member h aving parallel openrsided .loops adapted to frictional ly engagethe stem-.015 theistandard.

A plant support comprising a single mounting stem hav ng I a tr pod base, in

combinationwith a plant/engaging member it bination with a plant engaging nei iber-of 'wiremfashionedinto the {form of a hoop with inteignal Tbiturcate aigrippingi loOpsQfor sustaining the same concentrically of .the

mounting stem.

:5- A'*pla supnor remai ng a ingl Y mon-rgiting stem havingia tripodibase, incombination with a lant- .iengagingumember in the. foigmsof a hoop with an internal. radial gi -r g shangkterminated with .bi iurcate grips-adapted to ,trictionally engage },the mounting stem.

,6. A plantgsupport com-prising, a single mounting stem having a tripod base, in com.- bina-tion 'Witha plant engaging member constructed of asin-glestrand ogt .wire fashioned t th v e -he p w h in en a op nsided loops tor ;triotionally engaging the mounting stem.

7 A ;.-pl-ant ;-support comprising. ,a single mounting. stem with a tripod base, in com: bination with .apl ant engaging hoop rnember superposed braced torked loops adapted to (sustain 'the' member on the mounting "stern, said "hoop beingsp l-it to facilitate its application about the plant.

8. A plant support-comprising a single mounting stem with atripod base, combination wit-ha plant engagin-g member. having integral spaced bifurcations adapted to frictionally grip the mounting stem, said member being in the form. of a hoop of springy material split to facilitate its application about the plant.

9. A plant support comprising a single mounting stem with a tripod base, in combination with a plant engaging member in the form of a split hoop with integral major and minor bifureate loops adaptedto frictionally engage the mounting stem, said hoop being of springy material and pro- Vided at the split with interengaging means to normally hold the same closed.

10. A plant support comprising a single strand supporting stem with a tripod base, in combination with a plant engaging member constructed'of a single strand of wire fashioned into the form of a hoop and affording open-sided loops for frictionally engaging the mounting stem, the ends of the wire being detachably connected at the circumference of the hoop.

11. A plant support comprising a single mounting stem with a tripod base; and a plant engaging member fashioned from wire into the form of a hoop with an internal radial sustaining arm, said arm havingat its inner end a number of alignedly braced open-ended loops] adapted to frictionally engage the mounting stem at and in differ ent planes beyond the hoop. p

12. A plant support comprising a single mounting stem with a tripod base; and a plant engaging member fashioned from wire into the form of a hoop with an internal radial sustaining arm, said-arm having at its innerend a number of alignedly braced and relatively elongated open-ended loops adapted to frictionally engage the mounting stem in the plane of and in different planes beyond the hoop, and thumb projections at said loops whereby the latter may be individually detached from the mounting stem.

13. A. plant support comprising a single mounting stem with a tripod base, in combination with aplant engaging member fashioned from wire into the form of a hoop with an internal radial sustaining arm, said arm having at its inner end in the plane of the hoop an elongated openended main friction loop for engaging the supportingstem, and in a plane beyond the hoop, an auxiliary friction loop'open-ended like the first and bracedly aligned therewith, the sides of the two loops being retroverted to afford thumb projections whereby said loops may be individually detached from the mounting stem. 7

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this 6th day of August, 1923.

ANTHONY MARKOWSKI.

Witnesses:

JAMES H. BELL, LOUISE SOHLEPFER. 

